


Here Comes the Men in Black (My Soulmate)

by SadaVeniren



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Louis Tomlinson, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fusions, Implied Mpreg, Larry Stylinson freeform, Librarian Harry Styles, M/M, Men in Black Freeform, No Smut, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Telepathy, covid-19 mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:41:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26592316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadaVeniren/pseuds/SadaVeniren
Summary: “Your Yearning Day is quite possibly the most important day you will ever experience,” Louis’ first year teacher - Mx. Hawlmer - explained. “As we’ve gone over in our body class, soulmates are an important part of any Daunium’s life. You aren’t truly yourself until you have found your soulmate.”Louis dreams of finding his soulmate, and he will travel the galaxy to find them.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 101
Collections: Larry Soulmate Fic Exchange 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FallingLikeThis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingLikeThis/gifts).



> Tabby I hope you like this 🥺

Circe Dauni - Centaurus Galaxy - Space Era (SE) 2107

“Your Yearning Day is quite possibly the most important day you will ever experience,” Louis’ first year teacher - Mx. Hawlmer - explained.

Louis knew all about Yearning Day. He’d dreaming about it ever since his parents touched the black dagger inked into his forearm and smiled at him, before telling him he was blessed to have a mark to help him on his quest. He scooted closer to the edge of his seat, eagerly waiting to see if his teacher would tell him anything new.

“As we’ve gone over in our body class, soulmates are an important part of any Daunium’s life. You aren’t truly yourself until you have found your soulmate.”

Louis couldn’t resist. His hand shot up and he was speaking before Mx. Hawlmer called on him. “But not all our soulmates are from Circe Dauni. Some of us have soulmates from other planets!”

Mx. Hawlmer looked patient even as they scolded him. “You need to wait until you’re called on Louis. But yes. Not everyone in this classroom will have a Daunium soulmate. Which is what Yearning Day is for.”

“And some alien species have their own identifiers!” Louis cut in, his hand touching the dagger.

“Louis,” Mx. Hawlmer warned. “Wait your turn.” They glared at him until he had settled back in his seat, and then they continued their lesson. “If you have reached your 21st moon and still not found your soulmate on our planet you will be given tools by the council to go on a journey to find your soulmate.” They cut their eyes to Louis, almost daring him to speak and it took all of his restraint to stay quiet. Satisfied they continued. “Not all species have touch activated telepathy as their soulmate cue, but we as Daunium are lucky that we are capable of sharing other soulmate cues. Some species do not get that luxury. Now. What are some soulmate cues people know of?”

Louis’ hand shot up again, this time with others. Mx. Hawlmer didn’t call on him and so Louis had to listen to others call our soulmate cues that were not nearly as cool as his.

“The world is grey until you see your soulmate.”

“You have a countdown somewhere on your body.”

“Some people are born with the ability to speak telepathically to their soulmate.”

“A location.”

Finally Mx. Hawlmer pointed to Louis. “Matching marks! Or maybe similar marks! Or maybe it lights-“

They cut him off. “One soulmate cue at a time.”

Louis huffed and crossed his arms, falling silent again. The rest of the lesson continued on and it finally wrapped up with one final question.

“Mx. Hawlmer. How do you begin to know where to search for your soulmate when you leave for Yearning Day? There are so many worlds out there. How can you possibly narrow it down even if you know your secondary soulmate cue?”

“Well. The council has a database full of soulmate cues. It’s not complete of course, since we only truly know the ones with species we’ve encountered, but you will always find your soulmate. It’s just a matter of what the journey will be like.”

Louis leaned back in his chair, his feet kicking. He couldn’t wait to leave and find his soulmate. He didn’t know for sure which soulmate cue the dagger represented, but he knew he wanted to find his soulmate as soon as possible. Twenty one moons couldn’t come fast enough.

Circe Dauni - SE 2121

“Do you have everything?” Louis’ parents asked as he fussed around with his bag.

His Yearning Day was finally here. He had his ship, and a list of planets that were known for having marks as soulmate cues. The lessons he’s gone through the last couple years to learn how to fly a ship had been brutal but he knew they would be worth it. His mark was practically thrumming like it knew he was leaving to find its other half.

“CAL is already on the ship and plugged in so when you take off and end up needing him he’ll be ready.”

CAL was the council issued android that was programmed to assist Louis with any tasks he would need. He differed from OLI the AI that ran the ship in the functions he could do. OLI kept track of the ship and made sure it was running smoothly. CAL was an extra pair of hands.

“I checked that the incubators work,” Louis mentioned, finally getting his bag closed. “I’ll be able to house up to five eggs at a time.”

He wasn’t positive that his soulmate would immediately want to have children but he also didn’t know for sure how long they'd be away from his home once they met up. It was entirely possible that his soulmate would live on a planet that didn’t have the technology to support the growth of their children and they would need the ship for that purpose.

There was a pit in Louis’ throat when he thought about the idea of not coming back home. He swallowed it away with the reminder that once he had his soulmate he’d have a new home. They had a whole universe - thousands upon thousands of galaxies - to choose from to make their home.

His parents put their hand on his shoulder and he turned to them.

“We’re so proud of you,” they said.

“What if I don’t come back?”

They smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. He went easily, wrapping his arms around them. He wanted to soak in their scent and very being, even though it was impossible. They kissed his forehead before pulling away from him to look him in the eye.

“You will end up where you’re meant to.”

_Where he was meant to._ Louis nodded. It was a big universe after all. “I’ll call as soon as I settle into the first planet.”

“You have your original itinerary all loaded in?” They checked.

“Yeah. I’m making my way to Andromeda. It has the largest concentration of Mark soulmate cues. I’ll make some stops on the way, probably at the edge of our system and then one more in the Milky Way.”

“That’s a good plan. Be careful in the Milky Way. You know how unsurvivable it can be.”

Louis knew the stories all too well. Travelers disappeared in the Milky Way. He was hoping to avoid that but it was the quickest route to Andromeda. If he stopped at the edge of his own system he would hopefully have enough fuel to get him through the Milky Way.

“We love you,” Louis’ parents said, giving him one last kiss.

“I love you too. I’ll return one day, whole.”

“Yes. We believe it.”


	2. Chapter 2

Earth - Milky Way Galaxy - Common Era 2020

Harry adjusted his bag as he made his way into the library. The plastic of his jacket crinkled and rubbed against his skin, barely enough to keep him warm in the not-quite-spring morning, but he couldn’t _not_ wear it. He adjusted his arm as he passed by two strangers also wearing clear plastic clothing, flashing the black rose on his forearm. It was a ritual as old as the marks themselves. The two strangers glanced at his arm, visible through the clear plastic jacket, while he looked first at the detailed cat on one of their thighs, and then the pyramid on the other’s shoulder.

Not even worth a small touch.

Marks were supposed to complement each other in some capacity: either by design or location. Once you touched your soulmate the mark would light up, changing color.

Harry couldn’t wait to meet his soulmate. He often wondered what they were like, if they had another type of flower on their forearm, or the rose somewhere else. Since there was not consensus on what the mark on your arm meant Harry had no way of knowing for sure what it would be.

He got behind the counter and took off his jacket, rubbing his arms to try and warm up. The library was chilly but he could never risk wearing a jacket. He saw too many potential soulmates day in and day out.

“Hey, Harry,” his coworker, Perrie, said. She was cheery and bubbly, with a small golden elephant on her ring finger that matched her husband’s, Alex. “Crazy what they’re saying about the virus, isn’t it?”

Harry frowned. He tried not to get drawn into the panic of it all, though the news had been getting bad from what he’d gathered from a quick glance at his twitter feed. “The Man City Arsenal game was postponed.”

“I _know_ ,” her voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you think we’ll have to go into lockdown like in China?”

Harry had been actively trying not to think about that, but Perrie, as always, had a way of poking at his biggest fears. He shrugged, trying to stay nonchalant. The idea of being in lockdown made him terrified. Getting out and going to work was his only way of finding his soulmate. He wasn’t exactly the most social person in the world, preferring to keep to himself and his love of books, so pub meetups and quickfire soulmate touch events weren’t his style.

He always believed that soulmates would find a way to each other, and that he wouldn’t need those events to find his.

“I hope not. I mean. It’s not been too bad? Right?”

Perrie gave him a look. “I mean the vacation would be nice I guess. Time off and all of that.”

Harry thought of his flat: small and furnished mostly with plants. He had a cat for company, but that was it. Liverpool wasn’t the price of London at least so he didn’t have to share with someone else, but if he was locked into his flat he’d like some company.

“Hey! I know! Maybe you’ll finally meet your soulmate on your way back to your flat. You know that’s kinda how me and Alex met. Did I ever tell you that?” Harry shook his head, but he perked up. He always loved hearing soulmate stories. They gave him fuel for his own fantasies. Perrie started nodding excitedly. “Snowstorm in twenty-ten. We got stuck at the airport and met at the counter trying to figure out tickets. Knocked into him and our fingers lit up.” She looked at her ring finger and smiled. “Me mam wasn’t thrilled that I came home with a soulmate being as young as I was but you know.”

“Maybe we’ll meet fighting over frozen food at the grocery,” Harry said, trying to play along, even with his anxiety mounting.

“That’s the spirit, Harry.”

Harry turned as someone came up to the counter and he tried to push the whole conversation out of his mind. Everything would be fine.

***

Three months. He’d been in his flat for three months. It had been hell, essentially trapped in here except when he went out to get food. No one wore their plastic jackets anymore, even with summer rolling in. No one wanted to risk touching each other, soulmate or not.

It left Harry aching, desperate for the contact, and panicking at the thought he might have missed his soulmate somehow, somewhere. He refreshed his work email nightly, praying he got news that he could go back to the library and be meeting a stream of potential soulmates again.

He never thought of himself as someone who was just looking for his soulmate, but locked up for three months revealed just how much that was the bulk of his motivation. He tried to find new things to occupy his time with: sourdough, and knitting, and leather work, and plants, and his cat, but he actually spent his time online, trying to connect with people also desperately looking for their soulmates in quarantine.

He’d sucked it up and joined a few different sites, posting his mark online for the first time ever, in hopes that he would find some sort of match. He’d met a few people, gotten as far as video chatting with them, but ultimately he just knew they weren’t for him.

Was he pathetic for being this desperate for a soulmate? Was that all he was good for? He’d think these thoughts and then ultimately push them to the side. A soulmate was all he had wanted for so long. Dreams upon dreams. Hope upon hope.

He was empty. Alone.

One day he’d meet them. It just probably wouldn’t be this day, because you know, quarantine.


	3. Chapter 3

Somewhere by Mars - Milky Way Galaxy - CE 2020

“Louis,” CAL said as he came into the command room.

Louis was looking over the soulmate cue database for what felt like the two hundredth time. He’d run by the three plants in the Centaurus galaxy that mentioned species with marks as a soulmate cue, but nothing had turned up. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy. He could feel it in his bones. His soulmate was going to take him on an adventure, but it would be worth it.

“Louis,” OLI said over the intercom. “Stop daydreaming and pay attention.”

He jolted from his thoughts and he cursed himself for reprogramming OLI to be more personable. “What? I’m here, I’m here.”

If androids could judge that was what CAL was doing. “I was trying to tell you that there seems to be interference with the solar absorption.”

“Motherfucker,” Louis said as he looked around, eyes landing on the tracker. “We’re in the Milky Way, aren’t we?”

“We are, yes. We have been for approximately five hundred million miles. I started picking up a dense series of particles a few hours back and its only gotten worse the closer we get to this galaxy’s sun.”

Louis frowned and turned to look at the console, hoping it would provide him with some insight. His mind was playing over and over all the information he knew about the Milky Way. Travelers went missing in it all the time, just disappeared into nothing. It made it impossible to know why.

Louis wondered if the dense particles that was stopping his ship was part of the reason. And if so, did that mean he wasn’t going to survive?

_Great._

“What are our options?”

OLI’s voice came through as the console changed to display a database of the planets within the Milky Way. “The best option is to land on a planet and hope to recharge from the sun slowly. Unfortunately our options are not that good. There is only one Class M planet in this galaxy and all of our research on it is that it is a dangerous planet, inhabited by giant species.”

Louis frowned as he looked at Terra Nova - Earth, it was noted as a common term for it. “How giant are we talking?” He chewed on his lips. The display changed and Louis was greeted with a large, feathered creature. It didn’t look too terrifying until the scale showed up, proving that it was significantly larger than himself. “Right. What about a non Class M planet?”

“There is a Class K planet that we are passing by right now, but we would be stuck inside, unable to source any food if something went wrong.”

“So landing will lead to death by giant creatures, or death by starvation. And what if we just keep gliding by?”

“We run out of power and freeze to death.”

“Giant creature death it is,” Louis decided.

He sighed and pulled up the widget that connected him to the messaging system with his parents. The ship wouldn’t have the energy to transmit it, not until they’d absorbed more power. So he couldn’t even update anyone of his progress. 

No wonder no one made it through the Milky Way. This place was truly as dangerous as everyone had said.

He began writing a letter anyway, hoping that it would send eventually - after he’d been consumed by giant animals.

Earth - CE 2020

He had OLI aim for an island, close to the coast.

“We can escape into the water if anything tries to attack us,” Louis reasoned.

“The aquatic life forms have been documented as being even larger,” CAL provided unhelpfully as he sent an image to Louis’ console. “I have been reading about them.”

Louis groaned as he saw rows upon rows of teeth and soulless black eyes. “Lovely.”

He frowned as they began their descent, seeing a flew blips on his radar. “Something is surrounding the planet. Ships. Are these aliens intelligent?” That was an even more terrifying possibility he had not considered. He knew of species like that. “Do they have space travel?”

CAL flipped through his PADD, and if androids could frown he probably would be. “Nothing in the research indicates they could, but this research is very incomplete. Any treks through this galaxy always ended in the mission not completing. No research has ever been conducted close up.”

Louis closed his eyes. “I’m going to die. I’m going to die.” They broke through the atmosphere and Louis felt like he was going to be sick. All this time, excited at finding his soulmate, and this was how it was going to end. He didn’t even want to go to the control and steer the ship down to a safe landing. Better to crash and burn.

“Louis,” OLI said. “The radar is picking up more than vegetation down there.”

“What?” His head snapped up, taking out of his dark thoughts.

“Cities. There are cities down there,” OLI pulled up a zoomed in image on the console and Louis leaned forward.

“Fuck these creatures are advanced.”

But advanced meant intelligent. Maybe he _wouldn’t_ get eaten alive? Maybe… Maybe it would be okay? He sprung into action, taking control of his own fate.

“Cloaking up, OLI.” He grabbed the controls and slowed the descent, pulling up the radar so he had a better way to gauge where to land.

It _was_ a city, right by a murky looking river. He didn’t want to risk a water landing, and there wasn’t any green places to land a ship that was near the water. Louis guided the ship until it landed gently on top of an empty roof. He let out a breath and his heart started to jack rabbit in his chest. He’d landed. There was a city on this Terra Nova - Earth.

A nervous laugh bubbled up. “Holy shit. What? What do I do now? I need- I need-” his mind flipped through everything he needed to do. “OLI, what’s the stats on solar absorption here?”

“Slow going, but now that we are not moving we can fill back up. It should be enough to get us through the rest of the galaxy.”

Louis nodded. That was good. That was very good. “How long?”

“Two days? Three days? I do not know how long the sun is visible in this sky.”

“I should have studied better in school. I could report back so much information to the galactic council. Update their databases.” He chewed on his bottom lip. “If the giant creatures are nice that is.”

“We should stay undetected up here,” CAL said.

“Can you do surveillance of the area? The air quality? What is it?”

“Passable. Let me see if I can do a scan - there are many life forms around here.”

Louis’ console lit up with heat signatures and he laughed again. “This is.” But just as quickly he shook his head. He couldn’t be the first to have landed here. And no one ever returned. Which meant this was still dangerous. He should stay inside. Not go anywhere.

That thought lasted less than fifteen minutes, when there was a knock on the outside of his ship. His head jolted up and he looked at CAL.

CAL looked back at him.

The knock came again. Ever so polite.

“Is the cloaking still up.”

CAL flipped through his PADD. “Yes.”

“Then what?”

A third knock and Louis floundered as he rushed to the door, pressing the lever to open it up. He blinked as sunlight spilled in, and two figures in black clothing, something formal looking, stood in front of him. It took a moment for their details to come into view and Louis was shocked to see that the figures looked similar to him.

Not that they _looked_ like him, but they were Daunium-like. Both with a single head attached to a neck, that connected to a torso with two arms and two legs. They were roughly his height, and they looked masculine, like Louis. The man on the left had olive skin, dark hair, and was objectively the most gorgeous man Louis had ever seen. The man on the right was pale and pink, with a shaved head, and broader shoulders.

“You don’t have a permit to be up here,” the man on the right said in Galactic Common (his accent was passable), pulling out a small badge.

Louis didn’t recognize it as being part of the Galactic Council. “Sorry?”

“Landings aren’t allowed near civilians. Did no one mention that when you got your visa?”

“Visa? I don’t have a visa. My ship ran out of power and I needed to land.”

The two men traded a look. “Bet you five quid Jackson is on satellite duty right now,” the gorgeous man said. “Fell asleep at the damn radar again and let the ship through.”

Louis raised his hand. “Sorry, what? I’m a bit confused.”

“Right,” they snapped back to being professional. “I’m Agent L, this is my partner Agent Z, and you’re currently parked illegally,” he let the phrase hang for a moment and Louis realized he was waiting for Louis’ name.

“I’m Louis, and I didn’t know? How is it illegal? I didn’t want to attempt a water landing.”

“If a civilian had found you that would be a nightmare to clean up.”

“This is a nice ship,” Agent Z said instead of continuing Agent L’s worries, looking around the entry way. “Centaurus Galaxy work?”

“Yeah… I’m from Circe Dauni.”

Both of the men nodded, and Agent L pulled out a small PADD looking device. “Soulmate search?”

“What? I mean yes. But- where are the giant creatures?”

It was unnerving the way they looked at him in tandem, and then looked at each other, sharing a smile. “Giant creatures?”

“Yeah,” Louis’ flailing was saved by CAL appearing besides him and handing him a PADD to show them the images.

The two men nodded. “Dinosaurs, right.” Agent L said. “The Council is a pain of bureaucracy when it comes to updating.”

“I think you mean the Statutes of Secrecy is a pain,” Agent Z said.

Agent L rolled his eyes. “It’s all a pain. Those are old images of Earth. Very old. Millions of years old. Apparently when viewed from afar that’s all that can be seen of our planet.”

“So. They don’t exist anymore?”

“Nope,” Agent Z said.

“That’s good,” Louis said, a million and one questions running through his mind. “I’m still confused why you would know about the council but we have no information of you? Your galaxy has been classified as dangerous for so long, and no one ever returns from visits here.”

Agent L shrugged. “Earth only made official contact with aliens about seventy-five years ago. Before then I believe the accepted idea is that either aliens left peacefully, integrated peacefully, or were brutally murdered.”

“Some were put in zoos, and freak shows,” Agent Z said. “The ones who don’t look like,” he gestured between himself and Louis. “It’s been a large mark against us when integrating with the Council. Hence the Statutes of Secrecy. Normal Earthlings don’t know about aliens. Other species don’t know fully about Earth yet. We’re working on it. Hence… visas.”

“Which I don’t have. Am I going to get arrested?”

“Depends,” Agent L said. “Soulmate search?”

“I’m on my soulmate search, yes.”

Agent L looked down at his PADD. “What’s your soulmate cue?” He smiled at Louis for the first time, and it was friendly. “I only ask to know if it matches our planets. If it does we can expedite you a visa right now-” Agent Z cleared his throat, “After we move the ship of course. If not, we’ll let you refuel in a warehouse and you’ll be detained for your own safety and then be sent on your own way.”

Louis swallowed. “Uh. Daunium have touch activated telepathy and like,” he didn’t know how to fully describe the _other part_ to a species that probably didn’t share it, “but I have,” he pulled up his sleeve, showing them his mark, the dagger standing out proud on his skin. “I don’t know what it does. I was born it.”

They both nodded and made a note as they leaned down to look at it. “May I?” Agent Z asked, raising a finger.

Louis shrugged and he poked the dagger, nodding again, as Agent L began typing someone up on his PADD.

Louis fidgeted for another moment before Agent L’s PADD dinged and he looked up at him. “Welcome to Earth, Louis. We’ll get your ship registered, moved, and you can begin your soulmate search here.”

“Wait what?”

Agent L shared a look with Agent Z and then they were pushing up their sleeves to show Louis the marks on the inside of their wrists. Agent L had a yellow lightning bolt coming out of clouds on his wrist, while Agent Z had a red sun peaking out from behind a cloud. “When you touch your soulmate on Earth your mark will light up and then color in. The marks complement each other. If your soulmate is on Earth that is.”

“Holy shit,” Louis breathed. He couldn’t believe it. The first place he’d landed, and entirely by accident, was possibly home to his soulmate.

“Granted, you probably won’t get to touch anyone here for a little while. Global pandemic and all that,” Agent Z said putting his sleeve back down.

It was Louis’ turn to say, “wait what?”


	4. Chapter 4

Earth - CE 2020

The library wasn’t allowed to have people sit around like they used to, but Harry was back to work. It was nice to get out of his flat, even if it wasn’t the same. He used to enjoy the casual touches that society had, constantly checking to see if they found their soulmate. But touching wasn’t something that was comfortable anymore, and Harry was starting to miss it.

He missed the human interaction. Sure he got some socialization, talking with customers as they checked out books, or asked questions, but it wasn’t the same. And truthfully most people didn’t want to linger anymore.

It was depressing, and sometimes Harry wished he was still in isolation. At least then he wouldn’t be living with the awkwardness of what could be.

A stack of books was dropped in front of him and Harry looked up into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. This was probably not true because he lived in England and blue eyes were a dime a dozen here but the eyes were _very_ blue. He was wearing a basic black mask properly and Harry had to appreciate it.

Harry looked between the beautiful man and the stack of books, and then back again. And then the beautiful man leaned down and picked up another stack to put it on the counter, and then another, and then another, at which point Harry’s eyebrow started to climb up his forehead. The man finished with six neat stacks that he was trying to straighten on the counter and he smiled as Harry’s eyes went to his forearm, where a black dagger sat in the same place as Harry’s rose.

_Oh._

Harry had never seen a mark in the same place as his before. But that could mean nothing. 

_But it could mean everything._

Harry grabbed the first book - a book about soulmates and he scanned it. “Reading up on soulmates?”

The man looked at him and his eyes crinkled above the mask. “Yes! I was told this was the best place to research and so,” he gestured at the expanse of books. “Research!”

The man’s eye crinkles were infectious and Harry found himself crinkling back. “Can I get your card so I can scan it?”

The eye crinkles faded and Harry thought that was a shame. “Uh. My card?”

“Yeah, your library card?”

“I don’t have one?”

Harry turned from scanning the fourth book on soulmates to grab a blank card from the drawer. “We can set you up with one. I’ll just need your license.” The mask covered the man’s full expression but Harry was pretty sure he resembled a deer in headlights. Harry just continued on. “If you don’t have your license a student ID works too. Just something that shows that you live here.”

He handed the card over after he scanned it, and the man took it, eyes still deer-in-headlights like. Harry took a deep breath and reached his finger out, risking the newfound taboo to do what used to be the most common thing in the world: he swiped his finger against the man’s.

Nothing happened immediately.

Harry let out a breath.

And then the man’s forearm lit up with green light, and out of the corner of his eye he saw his own forearm glow blue under the thin linen of his shirt.

“What the-?” The man - _his soulmate_ \- asked, at the same time Harry went, “holy hell it’s _you_.”

The light disappeared and Harry dropped his hand - and the card - to pull up his sleeve, looking at his new mark. The petals of the rose were lined in a beautiful royal blue, the only color to be added to his tattoo. He then cut his eyes over to his soulmate’s mark, the dagger’s gem now a deep emerald color.

**What is happening**? Crossed his mind. It wasn’t said in his own voice, and Harry didn’t understand.

**Is he?**

**The mark changed.**

His soulmate was looking wildly back and forth between Harry, his mark, and his own mark.

“H, what’s going on over here?” Perrie asked, coming up beside him. She paused when her eyes settled on Harry’s pulled up sleeve and she swore. “You found your soulmate!” Her hand flew up over her masked mouth and she looked wildly between them. “You! Do you need a moment?”

Harry could only nod, and his soulmate repeated the motion.

**What now? Do I take him home? Was it that easy?** The voice in his head continued - echoing his own thoughts.

“Cover my shift?”

“Yes! Of course! This is what happens after all.” She sounded giddy as Harry stumbled out from behind the counter to stand side by side with his _soulmate_.

“We should?” His soulmate pointed in a bunch of different directions while Harry nodded, laughing nervously.

“We should.”

**_This was going well_** , Harry and the voice in his head thought, in a way that made Harry know neither of them thought it was going well. It was going _awkward_.

They didn’t speak until they were outside the library, and Harry gestured towards the gardens across the street. He looked around and then carefully pulled his mask off, his soulmate doing the same.

**_He’s beautiful_**.

Harry stared at his soulmate as the thoughts floated through his head. “I’m Harry.”

“Louis. I’m- holy shit you’re real.”

Harry stared in awe of his soulmate’s beauty as he laughed. It was a sight to behold, the way his eyes crinkled, and his face lit up.

“I can’t believe you’re real and you’re _here_ and I found you,” Louis was saying as he collected himself. “The first place I looked.”

“I can’t believe it either. I’ve been waiting for you for so long.” Harry crossed his arms as his mind caught up to what Louis was saying. “I take it you just moved to Louis- I mean,” he tripped over his words and felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

Louis just looked at him as if he was the best thing in the world. “I started traveling to find you, yeah. And this was my first stop. Well second after like-” he waved his hand. “But I was recommended to come to the library to do research which is why I was checking out all those books and there you were.” His hand went to the mark on his forearm and rubbed it before he looked away from Harry to stare at his mark. “I can’t believe it. It’s green.”

“My rose is blue. I wasn’t expecting that.” Harry held up his arm so the dagger and the rose crossed over each other. “I always thought it would be red, or pink, or white. Never this.” He swallowed and looked around. “We should get food or, do you want to keep walking? There are a couple shops that way that have outdoor dining.”

“ _Yes_.” Louis said, and he held out his hand, but then paused. “Is this? Do you mind the hand holding?”

Harry felt giddy as he shook his head, slinging his fingers in between Louis’. “Never.”

***

Harry picked the restaurant because Louis didn’t know the first thing about Earth food. He didn’t know what Indian, or Thai was, so he just tried to do what Agent L had suggested and say he was fine with anything.

It had been a whirlwind of a couple days: getting settled into the Agency’s warehouse with his ship, getting the visa and agreeing to a list of no-goes that involved the Secrecy Clause (as Agent Z called it). Louis had been let out into the city bright and early and he’d made his way over to the library well before it opened up. He had walked around the garden across the street from the library, trying to get a feeling for this new place, hoping that he would not do anything to risk getting in trouble.

He at least _looked_ like an Earthling, and the clothes he’d been allowed to borrow had helped him blend in even more.

And now here he was, sitting across from his soulmate, _an Earthling_. Louis didn’t even fully know what an Earthlin was, but his face was beautiful and his mind was soft.

_I can’t stop looking at him,_ Harry thought inside his mind. He was like an open book, so ready to give himself over to their bond. Louis knew all about how the fusing went within his species, though it wasn’t always easy with another species. You first had to create a solid mental link before you could even attempt it, and that could take years. The fact that Harry seemed perfectly content to allow the flow of thoughts go between them put them so far ahead of the curve Louis had set up in his mind.

There was just one problem. Talking to Harry was a bit of a challenge, because the contract he’d signed meant he wasn’t allowed to tell Harry anything until they were under the Agency’s protection.

“Do you like footie?” Harry asked, running his finger over the rim of his glass. He was leaning forward, his body language as open as his mind.

_Don’t be a Liverpool fan,_ Harry thought and Louis had no idea what that meant.

He shrugged, not sure Agent L’s advice would work here. “I spent a lot of my time studying? I’m a pilot?”

Harry’s eyes went wide with excitement. “A pilot? How do you even get into that?”

Louis had to fumble through an explanation, hoping that Daunium flight training matched up somewhat with Earth’s. If it did Harry didn’t seem to notice, soaking up the words he said like a sponge.

_He’s so cool,_ Harry’s thoughts flowed into his mind and Louis couldn’t help but close his eyes. _I don’t know what the fate’s could possibly see in me to match me with him._

“You’re lovely,” Louis breathed out loud, causing Harry’s cheeks to light up.

“Thanks. You’re just as lovely.” Harry rocked forward and he grasped Louis’ hand. He’d been doing that a lot, instigating the contact between the two of them. It sent a thrill through him that Harry wanted to touch him, to keep the bond growing - even if he didn’t full understand it.

The meal continued to pass with awkward steps here and there. Harry wanted him to meet his family, and asked in turn to meet Louis’. Louis watched as Harry jolted at the danger siren that he must have sent, to the point he even touched his temple lightly, when that question came up, and he winced in apology.

“Let’s meet your family first,” Louis said.

Harry wanted to know Louis’ opinions on staying in Liverpool, or moving somewhere else, and of course Louis could give no real thoughts on the matter. No more than Harry would be able to think about staying here, going back to Circe Dauni, or traveling to settle on another planet.

The meal wound down with Louis feeling the comfort from their bond, but also the questions that were still swirling in Harry’s mind. He wanted to explain, so he clasped Harry’s hand tightly in his and asked him the question.

“Do you want to come back to mine? We can be more private?”

Harry’s face lit up and his fingers tightened on Louis’. “Of course, yeah. Lemme pay and we can go.” He stood up and as he walked by Louis he leaned down, enveloping him in a hug.

And then they were one.

***

They opened their eyes, and the thoughts began to swirl.

_**What is happening?** _

_**The bond!** _

_**The bond? What the hell is the bond?** _

They looked down at their hands, at their forearms, their mating marks lined up, the dagger through the rose. It looked stunning with the colors, and they understood what it meant finally. The symbolism of their marks.

They touched it with their other hand, tracing over it as the sounds around them started to filter back in.

People were talking, and staring.

_**What? Do they not- of course not. They don’t know.** _

_**Don’t know what?** _ **I _don’t know what’s going on!_**

It was strange, having their thoughts merged together, but still filled with dissonance. It made their head hurt and they leaned forward putting their head in their hand.

“Nothing to see here, nothing to see. Movie magic you know how it goes.”

They look up and see Agent L and Agent Z coming up ( ** _who? Don’t worry about it, they’re friends._** ), Agent Z ushering the crowd of people into a circle, as Agent L approached them.

“What the hell was that, Louis? You said your species just has touch telepathy.”

They stared up at him, blinking.

“We- this takes years to happen,” they said, as Agent L hauled them up by their bicep.

Moving was tricky. Coordinating their thoughts to operate their body wasn’t as smooth as Louis had expected it to be, and there was fighting - so much fighting.

_**What’s happening? Who is this?** _

“I need everyone to look right here at the red light, that’s right, just a few more seconds.” Agent Z was saying in the background, as their thoughts started to divide.

_**What’s going** on? I can’t- I can’t breathe. Stop it. I need an-_

Harry separated with a _pop_.

Agent L - who?! - swore as all three of them went crashing to the ground. Harry scrambled up to his feet, looking around wildly. His eyes flitting from Louis to the Agent to the crowd to the other Agent who was cursing.

“I _just_ wiped them Liam, what the fuck.”

“Later, Z. We’re still working.”

“Fine!” Agent Z turned and flashed a red light again at the crowd of people, before he began talking. “The budgets of movies under Covid have done a serious number on filming permits.”

Harry couldn’t take much more. He wanted to run but his chest was constricting, and when Louis came to his side, trying to touch him, he turned away from his touch.

“Don’t! I. Don’t _touch me_. What are you?”

The hurt on Louis’ face cut deep but Harry couldn’t be sad. He couldn’t be affected by it. He needed to get out of here.

Agent L grabbed him again, a firm grip on Louis’ wrist. “Come with us. _Both of you._ ”


	5. Chapter 5

“What do we got, boys?” N asked as he came into the side room to look at the two men handcuffed, waiting in the next room over.

L and Z traded looks before handing their file. “The alien, Louis. He’s from a planet called Circe Dauni. He was on his soulmate search. We picked him up parked illegally on a roof, he answered our questions, but turns out he gave us incomplete information about his species.”

“Incomplete how?” N asked. “And is that the soulmate?” He nodded towards the man who was looking at the ground.

“Harry Styles. Twenty four from Cheshire. Library Assistant,” Z said. “Louis just got the clear to enter society this morning. Library was his first spot. Boom soulmate.”

“Cute,” N said, and he smiled as he said it. It was cute. “Lucky too. Love when it’s like that. But they caused a scene later?”

“The incomplete information is that apparently their species … merge.”

“ _Merge_ ,” N repeated.

“Merge,” L confirmed. “Right in the middle of a restaurant. One more they were two people, they hugged, and boom one person. Clothes an all. Shocked the hell out of almost fifty bystanders.”

“Hate it when that happens. So. What’s the plan?”

“Seems like Harry doesn’t know anything. Guess Louis was going to tell him at some point. We were going to offer Harry a chance at a mind wipe and give them a chance to start over under our supervision.”

N nodded. “Good plan. Carry on with it. I’ll watch from in here.”

He dismissed them both and settled into a chair to observe the pair of soulmates. He could tell the human was scared, questioning, and a little angry. The alien looked terrified. N bit his thumbnail and hoped everything would turn out okay.

***

“Harry,” Louis whispered finally.

Harry tugged on his handcuffs as if he were trying to get away from him. “Don’t talk to me.”

_Please stop,_ Harry thought at him, had been thinking at him. _Make it stop. I don’t want this._

The rejection was palpable, if not for the fact that Harry kept being inside his head. It was like a hollow, more painful rejection. Harry wanted to stay around long enough to make sure Louis knew he didn’t want him.

Louis pushed all his thoughts at him, but if Harry was picking them up they didn’t show on his face. He felt so defeated.

The door opened and Agent L and Agent Z came through.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” Agent L said. “We were just going over your files.” He smiled as he took a seat across from them. Agent Z paced behind him.

Harry stayed quiet, his thoughts swirling. _They’re gonna kill us. Whoever they are._

Agent L leaned forward, face open and honest looking. “Let’s get things out in the open. Aliens are real, and Louis - your soulmate - is one.”

“What the fuck?” Louis said, right as Harry’s head snapped up and he demanded, “no way!”

Agent L just shrugged. “Afraid so. First contact happened about seventy five years ago with a different species, but you here have an alien soulmate. Not that uncommon all things considered. Apparently Earthlings are ummm, very compatible.”

Harry looked at Louis. “You’re having me on. He’s having me on.”

Louis sighed. This was not how he’d hoped to do this.

“Have you noticed anything strange since finding your bond?” Agent Z asked.

“You mean besides that acid trip where I lost control of my body?”

“Yes, besides that.”

Harry huffed, and his mind was swirling. He didn’t say anything though, not until Agent L cautiously said, “Louis’ species apparently has telepathic bonds with their soulmates. So you can hear his thoughts, and he can hear his.”

Harry froze, but then nodded. “Oh. I thought I was just going crazy.”

Agent L smiled. “No. That’s just your soulmate.”

“My alien soulmate.”

“You’re technically the aliens to me,” Louis piped up.

Harry was quiet for a moment more and then he looked at Louis. “So all that stuff about school and your parents? And the piloting? Those were lies?”

Louis’ eyes went wide and he quickly shook his head. “No! I wasn’t lying about that. I _am_ a pilot. I flew here in my ship by myself. And my parents would love to meet you, though they were never sure I’d come back. And I wasn’t sure you’d want to make the trip to my home planet.”

“Oh.” Harry nodded, seeming to accept that. His mind was getting soft again.

Agent L let them have the moment of silence and then he cleared his throat. “We do have the tiny problem of the lack of _merging_ information.”

Louis grimaced. “I… didn’t think it would happen that quickly.” All eyes were on him as he explained. “Where I’m from, we become one with our soulmates, literally. And once you fuse you never unfuse.”

“But we did,” Harry said.

“Well, yeah. Because we got out of sync when you started panicking. All the data shows that when our soulmate is another species it can take years to get our minds in sync enough to fuse, which is why I didn’t mention it to you, Agents. I didn’t think it would come up.”

“Wait, it’s permanent?” Agent Z asked. “Like, literally two halves of one soul type stuff?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah. You become your true self once you combine.”

“How the hell do you procreate then?”

“Well that’s a little personal,” Louis said.

Agent Z waved his hand. “Our agency is trying to collect information on alien races. This is the kind of stuff we need to know, especially if you were to settle here. Are we to expect you to like… split off?”

Louis groaned. “We uh. We lay an egg. And incubate it.”

“We can have kids? Our own children?” Harry cut in.

Louis looked at him, surprised at the question. Harry’s mind was fully open to him again, soft around the edges. Clearly the scare of it all was going down. “Yeah. Can you not have your own children? Did you not think you could?”

“On Earth when both soulmates have matching genitalia they can’t procreate,” Agent L said, and then he looked thoughtful. “Suppose it’s very possible you guys don’t have matching genitalia.”

“Do you want me to show you?” Louis challenged and it pulled a laugh from Agent Z. He looked back to Harry. “I was going to tell you when we came back here. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you.”

“I know,” Harry said. “I can,” he tried to point to his head with one of his cuffed hands. “Up here. I can hear you.”

Louis smiled. “The bond.”

_The bond_ , Harry’s thoughts agreed.

“Well you two seem to be doing better,” a voice rang over the speaker, and both of them jolted. “I think we can nix the mind wipe plan,” it continued, addressing the two agents.

“Mind wipe?” Harry asked, his eyes going wide as he tried to reach for Louis.

“Nothing extreme,” Agent L said. “Just far enough back that you wouldn’t remember meeting Louis and you could start over again, here, where we could have monitored your first interaction and helped control it. A lot of times these soulmate meetings don’t go well, and they end up breaking. We like fixing those.”

Louis could see Harry swallow as he nodded, looking over at Louis. “Can we be untied? Or at least… I want to touch Louis again.”

_I want to be whole with you._

Agent L and Z shared a look but the voice over the speaker said, “go ahead.”

It only took the clasping of their hands this time for the fusion to take place, the two of them going from separate chairs to standing free.

They looked down at their hands again, smiling. When they looked up they saw the way Agent L and Z were looking at them.

_**They think we’re incredible.** _

_**Because we are. And we are whole.** _


	6. Chapter 6

“Darcy! Don’t outrun CAL. You can’t go too far until they’ve scanned your passport,” Larry called after their daughter.

Their return to Earth was always a production but this year Darcy was able to move independently, which had only added to the frustration. Luckily they were almost old hats at this, having done it several times since they found each other. What was a little hecticness of a toddler thrown into the mix?

Larry managed to catch up with CAL and Darcy at the check-in booth and they smiled at the man who went over their papers.

“Purpose of visit?”

“Visiting family in Cheshire.”

The man nodded. “And you only have your android and child?” Larry nodded. “Any spontaneous combustion, sprouting limbs, emitting toxins, or biting habits we need to know about?”

“All normal on that front.”

The man stamped their passport and handed it back. “Welcome back to Earth.”

Larry smiled in thanks as they grabbed hold of Darcy’s hand, taking her away from CAL, who had projected his human image of a young man. As they stepped outside the Agency’s building they took a deep breath of the Earth air and just for a moment they felt the soft separation as Harry longed to be home.

It was fleeting, not nearly enough to cause them to separate, but still enough that Louis could think independently for a moment.

**Are you okay, love?**

_I miss it sometimes._ Harry thought.

**Earth? The independence?**

_All of it._

**_We can send her to Earth school_** They thought together.

It wasn’t always an easy adjustment for a species that wasn’t born knowing this would happen, no matter how alone Harry had felt. Being fused with someone else for all time was a commitment, but the separation was sometimes worse.

They’d only separated twice since they fused back in the Agency. Once for Harry to say goodbye to his parents, and right after they had given birth to Darcy - the experience too unnerving for Harry even with the shared thought of normalcy from Louis. But for the majority of the time together they had been _Larry._ One being. Whole.

“Need a ride strangers?” A voice asked and they looked up to see two familiar faces.

“L, Z. Funny meeting you here.” Larry guided Darcy towards the car.

“We got a car seat for her. Do you know those things are impossible to install?” L said, opening the backdoor. “We didn’t know if you guys had one ready, and we don’t need you stopped for having Darcy not being in the car properly.

Z looked around before he said, “CAL, decommission,” and then CAL was dropping the projection and folding himself into a small briefcase, so he could more easily fit in the backseat of the car.

Larry grinned as they climbed in besides Darcy. “I remember enough of Earth. But thanks for the ride. Any chance to catch up with you two again. Are you on vacation?”

“Are we ever?” Z asked as he got in the passenger seat and looked back at them. “But we figured we’d get a chance to catch up on the ride back to your mum’s. N loves your updates from the council. He calls it his _in_.”

Larry closed their eyes, happy to be home.


End file.
